'Poker queen' died in crash on way to tournament after sat nav failed to show roundabout

A mum who travelled to the Czech Republic to take part in a professional poker tournament died of multiple injuries when a sat nav failed to flag up an upcoming roundabout.

Emma Fryer, 42, was known as the 'poker queen' and she was on the verge of giving up her job to play poker full time.

She was in the passenger seat of the car when driver David Nelson braked sharply and lost control of the vehicle, StokeonTrentLive reports.

An inquest heard today how the vehicle skidded and collided with a post. Mum-of-two Emma, from Alsager, was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple injuries.

The bet365 worker had arrived in the Czech Republic for a tournament only hours earlier.

Emma was known as the 'poker queen'

She and fellow player David had gone straight to the casino in Rozvadov and then headed towards their hotel. They had been travelling along a motorway in thick fog before the crash happened at Plzen on November 5, 2017.

In a statement, David said he could only see around 25 metres ahead, even with the headlights and fog lights illuminated. The car was travelling well within the 120km speed limit and he was using a sat nav on his mobile phone to find his way there.

“Suddenly, I saw a sign for a roundabout directly ahead,” he recalled. “No warning from the sat nav, so I hit the brakes.

“We skidded and hit a metal post that the police stated had been a lamppost. The car spun 180 degrees after the impact.”

Emma Fryer with partner Gary Morris

The windscreen shattered and sprayed glass on the pair. The next thing he remembered was hearing Emma ‘moaning’ in the passenger seat.

A passer-by stopped to help and alerted the emergency services. David was taken to hospital and only found out three days later that Emma had died.

The inquest was told he was subsequently arrested and later convicted of a negligence charge equivalent to causing death by careless driving.

Former Alsager School student Emma had suffered a brain injury, rib fractures and damage to several organs.

Floral tributes outside Alsager's Christ Church

Cheshire assistant coroner Peter Sigee concluded she died as a result of a road traffic collision.

The 61-year-old, from Alsager, said: “Just a few weeks before her death, she found out she was going to be a grandmother. She was so excited. Her eldest daughter Gemma has since given birth to William.

“She had also been excited about her new profession. Her partner Gary was 100 per cent behind her.

“She was a really good player and was starting to make a lot of money. The biggest sum she won was £47,000.”

Emma’s brother, Steven Eaton, said: “She just wanted to travel the world, playing poker. She had started playing poker online and picked it up very quickly.”

She had been due to compete in the World Series of Poker Europe tournament when the crash happened.

Thirty-eight-year-old Steven, from Alsager, described the difficulties the family experienced in trying to navigate the maze of Czech authorities. “It was a month of waiting around, not knowing,” he added.